Neunkart ("Nine Cards") or Fett und Mager ("Fat and Lean") was a traditional North German card game played with 36 French-suited cards.
The game is mentioned as early as 1800 by Johann Friedrich Schütze as Neegenkaart and Fett un Mager in his Holstein dictionary, where it is described as a favourite game of Holstein farmers and townsfolk. Players were dealt 9 cards each and there was a trump suit. The first, "higher paid" tricks were the "fat ones" and the last tricks, paid at half the value, were the "lean ones."[1]
The game was also spelt Negenkaart.[2] Around 1865 it is one of the many card games played by Eiderstedt farmers at Christmas alongside, Brausbart, Dreikart, Fünfkart, Fips, Karnüffel, Scherwenzel, Hahnrei and others.[3] But by around 1890, it was one of only two card games still being played by farmers in the Eiderstedt region alongside Dreekort.[4]
As Nikort or Fedt og Magert it was played in Denmark in the 19th century alongside numerous other games.[5]